174-million-year-old ‘Amazing Dragon’ dinosaur discovered in China

Ferocious carnivores like the Tyrannosaurus tend to take top billing when it comes to dinosaur pop culture, but the colossal plant-eaters known as sauropods are just as worthy of acclaim. This group of long-necked beasts include the brachiosaurus, brontosaurus, apatosaurus, and diplodocus as well as many others, and paleontologists in China are now ready to add another new species to the list.

The creature’s long-still bones were discovered in a handful of different fossil sites in China, and with as many as 10 partial skeletons to draw from, researchers have been able to classify it as a new species. It has been named Lingwulong shenqui, which roughly translates to “the amazing dragon of Lingwu.”

The dinosaur wasn’t quite as large as others in the sauropod group, but it still would have been an impressive creature to see in person. It is thought to have measured between 35 and 55 feet in length, and like most sauropods it would have spent the majority of its days traveling in small groups and munching on vegetation.